Earmarks are at the heart of the scandals surrounding Mr. Abramoff and Duke Cunningham, the former GOP congressman who admitted to taking $2.4 million in bribes in exchange for earmarks. Military contractor Brian Wilkes not only lavished gifts on Mr. Cunningham but spent $1.1 million on lobbying others. The payoff: at least $95 million in government contracts. The Copley News Service reported that "Wilkes made no bones about where his money was coming from. His jet-black Hummer bore a license plate reading MIPR ME–a reference to Military Interdepartmental Purchase Requests," the means by which his firm got paid.

Well, that was the Dukester. But he’s gone. And congress will now be safe from Tom DeLay and his sticky-fingered ethics as he takes over the seat on the Appropriations Committee that is now open having been recently vacated by DUKE CUNNINGHAM.

Meanwhile the Official White House Toxic DeLay Distancing Strategy seems to be fixing on the story that the Bugman was some sort of low-rent cracker that a wealthy Brahmin like George Bush would never hang out with.

Jane Hamsher

Jane is the founder of Firedoglake.com. Her work has also appeared on the Huffington Post, Alternet and The American Prospect. She’s the author of the best selling book Killer Instinct and has produced such films Natural Born Killers and Permanent Midnight. She lives in Washington DC.Subscribe in a reader